she is awesome,what's her name? my teacher

She is awesome ! What’s her name ? my teacher

From the Luna girls by looking at me “You are cute looking, awesome face, good smile, you are my bubblie…………” this are the things said by them, when I was studying u.k.g (age 5).

                                                                This thing also happen on that time only, let me continue…

                                           Afternoon class has been started; our entire class felt in silence, as it’s the class of sathamani misses. She was teaching as English. Well ,she is an rude lady with round eyes ,  black face coated with ponds dream flower powder. She never came quick after the lunch, if the food fails to produce the tasty , we be the side dish for her. With a loud shout she entry the class, shouting is may be of her power in her voice or power of chilli in her biryani who knows,!.

                                                                   Then we were facing the blackboard, to avoid the eye contact from her. While I was facing the blackboard I came to know my name was written in it, my badness she also saw it. My name is second, first name was manoj kumar, and she called him. Manoj stood up, walking to the miss.

                     While walking he kissed his own finger, look up and lips moves with some word of silence. Miss said “prayer must be done in temple not here manoj, its okay I will give prasantham come here”. She took a long wooden scale, beat him on his shoulder that her style of beating. Manoj doesn’t have any reaction. It’s my turn next, I too did the pray like him said “god give the power to withstand the pain as manoj did “.

                                            While seeing manoj I came to know he wear double shirt every day to resist the pain. Oh I am helpless, I don’t have another shirt, and my head face the floor now. Waiting for my time, voice scrammed ” sarath kumar “. I slowly lifted the up my face; voice is from the outside of the class, its school attender (munima),    she said,”sarath kumar is wanted by music teacher”. With an inclination of 45 degree angle I said” shall I go miss” . with angry look “no I will not leave you”, I need to speak to the management all student went for practicing something,  for annual day program means with whom I will teach she hissed, I need to finish the syllabus.

                                         By thinking herself she replied, just go away sarath, if you sit in the class also that leads the problem. I came out said “god is great” repeated myself. Munima  said “go to the ground two (2), music teacher is waiting for you.

                                                   I moved to the ground, ground is a barren, it like a round table conference ongoing. student of u.k.g section “b”are surrounded by a teacher with a single chair empty, while seeing me music teacher powered “you are the guy from the u.k.g A “,i said “yes miss” . Her eyebrow slowly moved to a boy in the round conference, and she said “prem can you search a cane, we need to beat sarath”. Oh it’s arrogant, now only escaped from devil hearted lady but now.

                                             I am the pry for someone else. She holds the cane moves the cane to a distance so that I can afraid of that action. By showing my hands simultaneously i closed my eyes because of fear.

                              She said “Don’t worry sarath I won’t beat you, you are so lovely child to me with other children, I will never scold or beat anyone”, just come and join in this group, we may sing a nice song on upcoming annual day. Did you agree with me sarath, with a joy I replied” yes miss.

                       

 Daily we had the practice session, as well this session is only on santhamani miss period. Because in that  period only music teacher is free. We practice a song --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“{sorry I can’t remember the song it’s an English song}.

                               I am feeling free to talk with her. She took care of me. I love her a lot. One day I came to know that she is a science teacher for u.k.g ‘B’. She was appointed temporary teacher, she opponent as music teacher, as she learned Carnatic music in her childhood at an age of 6.

                                         She has more certificates, to strength her degree. One fine day Principle came to check the practice session, as two days is remain for the function.

                                                   We too sing the song with clear notes, but princi said you need to improve a lot. princi look at the music teacher replied “can you sing a song for me, I need to hear it”. Music teacher put the hand on his ear; make a note to provide the pallavi “ sri ranga nathanin patham magalam seiya di” it’s from mahanathi film.

                                              Princi wondered of her magic in her voice, with lot of expression in her face. Our princi is an n.r.i. Then princi motivated the teacher to sing a song in annual day function as she liked the way of singing.

                                                    Our music teacher felt very happy, she asked me what song I can sing in the stage. I don’t have any idea.

                         “Okay I will not tell the song to anyone, it will be   make a surprise to everyone”, added by miss.

                                The day came, its annul day function, first event is ours “song by little kids” event titled as. Program starts at 5pm, now the time is 5.45pm till now chief guest is not arrived. princi were roaming from main gate to stage. I turned to the miss asked her “why the chief guest is not coming fast”. No sarath, name itself have an ego, “person who comes late were called as chief guest, person on time is audience, person before time is participates”, we were in last two categories, so “we must wait”. I nodded.

                 Chief Guest arrived at 6pm. All the speech by chief guest was overfeed at 7pm. Its our turn, we all student moving in a line. There was a change in the program; “bharathanatiyam” is going to start now voice came from the speaker.

        I am seeing the dance by standing left side of the stage, song starts with “on namashivaya”. My music teacher coming in full speed, give a slap on my cheek. Water aroused on my eyes, with an angry face “why are you standing in this line, our program is next, come on”, she pulled me to the stage.

                                      We sang the song, but I felt very bad toward the active of music teacher. After the program over. I moved to the audience row at the back, were my mom is waiting for me. That row is filled with my grand ma, three uncles, and my neighbour anna senthil. I cried with a silence, said to them “my teacher is beaten me for no reason”.  My mom is busy to search my brother who is in another dance program.so Senthil anna hold me and took me to see the teacher , yet to know the reason.

             All the teacher will be on back stage, so we used to visit there, but miss is missing somewhere in that place. Senthil anna without a hesitation, he searched the teacher.

                                 One place we left “costume room of girls, on that entrance door, gowri akka where standing, she also my neighbor, senthil anns hand over me to that gowri ka, then we searched   the miss

                                    At last we ask about the music teacher to the sathamani miss, she replied “music teacher now only moving out, as she going home”. Immediately, we ran out, to the gate.

                                      Third corner row in the bus, teacher was sitting by facing west. Bus titled 1c, it route to ukkadam.  

                                         Gowri ka asked “she is there “, I said “yes”, and indicate the place where she was sitting. With a horn bus moves  the way by facing west. I don’t know the reason behind the angry of her on me.

                               Where gowri akka on seeing my teacher asked me, “what’s her name?” err, mind voice of me “I don’t know her name, I like her”. I don’t have the courage to ask the name of the music teach to the u.k.g’b’ student they know how am close to the her.

                                 Every annual day function held only on Saturday, this function also not destroy the unwritten rule.  

                                              

                                 One day gap, Next day I came to the school with a hesitation to see the music teacher, I went to the staff room, asked about the music teacher. They said “she resigned her job”, teacher next to them asked why, they said, “On annual day due to some problem with princi, she resigned her job “, reason was not know to anyone. By the time of their speech I am moving out of the room, I got the reason why she resigns her job and why she slap me.

                                     While coming out, some one hugged me at the back and said “I got you baby, you can’t escape from me”.

                                       It’s a sweet voice, thought, it’s my teacher; with surprise I turn a round. Oh boy! it gowri akka not my music teacher. Gowri akka asked me “on that day, you were escaped”, now not. “Say the name of the teacher I will find her in the staff room”.

                             Okay it doesn’t need  akka.  Hmm,what’s her name, why you need to know with strange look I said . gowri ka repied please, she is awesome, what’s her name, my teacher I said.

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A PATHWAY, WITH NO FOOTPRINT

A pathway, with no footprint

It’s time for dinner, and we were waiting for my dad. As I was addicted to television, I didn’t realize my dad had arrived. He stepped into the house, sat on the chair, and removed his black shoes.

He looked at me and said, “Sarath, have you done your homework?” Before he could finish the question, a voice entered the hall from the kitchen. My house had only two rooms, not much distance between them—just a wall enclosed it. “No, he hasn’t even touched his books. He’s been watching TV the whole time,” added my mom.

My dad felt sad. He looked at me and said, “If it goes on like this, what are you going to be? What’s your aim?” He waited for my reply.

It was a difficult question for a five-year-old to answer. At that moment, I was watching the film Air Force One on the Star Movies channel. I turned to my father and said, “Dad, I want to be a driver.”

His face turned red, and his eyebrows lifted up. Without a moment’s pause, his hand searched for a stick so he could teach me a lesson. With a flushed face, he continued, “You poor guy! Your dad is working as a cashier in a bank—why can’t you be a manager at least? Aim higher, Sarath. It’s your life. No one can imagine like you do, but how can you aim so low?” he muttered.

“No, Dad. I want to drive an aeroplane, like him,” I said, pointing at the pilot in the movie, who was struggling to keep the aircraft in cruise during a hijack.

Dad’s angry face softened and turned into a smile. As his office was far away, he returned home late and tired every day. But now he smiled like the happiest person in the world.

He said, “Sarath, you want to drive an aeroplane? No one calls the person who drives an aeroplane a driver. He is called a pilot. So now, you want to be a pilot?”

“Yes, Dad,” I muttered.
“Good,” he said, congratulating me.

Every evening, when my dad entered the hall, he would ask me, “What are you going to be?”
I always answered, “Pilot.”
Whenever he saw an aeroplane on television, he asked the same question, and I gave the same answer.

Two years later,
At the age of 7, I was going for tuition with my cousin Nageshwar, my childhood friend of the same age.
He asked, “Sarath, I’m going to be a doctor. What are you going to be, da?”
I replied, “I want to be a scientist, da.”
With a bored face, he said, “Eeh! You? All scientists are 60-plus. So you’ll also be a scientist at 60. Leave it, da.”
With slight hesitation, I replied, “No, I’ll be a scientist at 20. I will be, da.” He smiled.

When I was in 7th standard, our chemistry teacher asked everyone to say their aim. I stood up and said, “Pilot, miss.”
“Nice to hear that, Sarath,” she said. “But to become that, you need to study aeronautical engineering.”

Till I turned 18, many people suggested different paths—computer engineering, IAS (though it’s not a course, my grandma told me to take it), and nanotechnology.

My dad didn’t discuss anything with me, because he already knew what I was going to be.
It was time for counselling.

I went with Dad to Chennai by train. We reached the Anna University campus. I had breakfast at the canteen. Lots of students like me were waiting for their future to be decided.

Inside a long, wide hall, two projectors were fixed on the left and right of the stage. They displayed the vacant seats in government-aided colleges with department codes: AERO, MECH, EC, EEE, IT, CSC.

Some neighbors had brainwashed my mom, suggesting I join a nearby college. She told me before I left for Chennai, “You should take EC in Eshwar College,” since I had done a short training course there during a summer camp. We had even paid a management fee of ₹40,000 for that college.

As we moved in the queue, my eyes carefully watched the projector. But I couldn’t spot Eshwar College—too risky to look for one college out of 450 in Tamil Nadu. Suddenly, one college name blinked repeatedly, showing a single vacant seat in the AERO department. It was Nehru College, listed above the table.

My dad looked at me and said, “Sarath, do you see that? There’s an opportunity in the aero department.”
With fear, I replied, “No, Dad. Mom asked me to take EC and nothing else.”
“Oh God, it’s your wish, son.”

Once again, Dad asked me, “What are you going to be?”
My lips trembled, but finally, I said, “Aeronautical engineer.”
“Then go ahead with it, Sarath. Why are you afraid to take it?”
“I’m interested in it, Dad,” I murmured in his ear. “But Mom asked me to take ECE.”
“It’s your future, son. Go ahead with what you want to be,” he encouraged me.

I borrowed a counselling book from the guy next to me and searched for Nehru College’s code. I found it: “……”
Several senior engineering students were waiting at separate PCs to help. We moved toward a fat lady with an orange tag ID. She asked for the code. Within a fraction of a second, I got a seat in the respective college.

We came out of the campus with a happy smile on our faces and hearts.

Hello guys—within four years, I’ll be an aeronautical engineer. I’m searching for a path where no footprints are found. I want to discover it, to earn honor and live the adventurous life I love.